Point of View

The story is written in the first person from the point of view of the narrator, a sailor from the USS Dolly. Later, in the valley of the Typees, he takes the name Tommo. Tommo seems to be fairly young, though older than his fellow deserter from the USS Dolly, Toby. Large parts of the book are descriptions of the vegetation, buildings and artifacts of Typee valley. The narrator's observations and thoughts of the people around him are limited by his small amount of comprehension of their language. In fact, much of the book reads like a travel guide to the Typee valley. Tommo is very much of an outsider in Typee, though he has a much closer relationship with some of the natives than his colleague Toby ever develops. In a sense, Tommo becomes a bridge between Western culture and the native culture of Typee...